Broomfield Child Custody

Family Law Attorneys Helping Broomfield Residents

Parents who are splitting up often must make important custody decisions regarding their children. If your spouse and you are undergoing a divorce, it is important to understand your rights as a parent. At Plog & Stein P.C., our Broomfield child custody lawyers understand this area of the law and can vigorously advocate for your right to a fair and appropriate custody arrangement. We represent people throughout the Denver metro area.

Understanding Child Custody Determinations in Colorado

The two main components of child custody are traditionally known as physical custody and legal custody. In Colorado, however, “physical custody” is actually referred to as “primary physical care” and “parenting time.” If the parents share almost equal amounts of time with the child, including overnight visits, that is considered a shared custody or parenting time arrangement. One parent will be considered the primary residential parental if the child spends the majority of overnights in his or her home. If the parents share equal time, neither is the primary residential parent in a parenting time sense. The amount of time each parent spends with the child can affect financial rights tied into child support and decision making rights tied into where a child goes to school.

Meanwhile, “legal custody” is known as “decision-making responsibility” in Colorado. As the name suggests, decision-making responsibility refers to a parent’s power to make important decisions regarding a child’s education, health care, religion, and more. This type of responsibility may be sole or joint. If a parent has sole decision-making responsibility, that parent has the right to make major decisions regarding the child without the other parent’s permission. In some instances, there may still be a duty to consult. If the parents have joint decision-making responsibility, both of them share the right to make important decisions for the child. As a result, these decisions must be made together.

The ideal goal is to come up with a parenting plan with the other parent that effectively meets the child’s needs. A parenting plan specifically allocates the time that each parent will spend with the child, such as where the child will spend a particular school vacation or the child’s birthday. A parenting plan requires both parents to agree to it. If you cannot agree on a plan, the court will determine a plan for you, based on what it considers to be in the best interest of the child. A child custody attorney in Broomfield can advocate for you in these situations.

In determining what is in the best interest of the child, the court may consider many factors, such as the child’s age and any medical conditions, each parent’s living situation, each parent’s pattern of involvement with the child, the child’s current living situation, the child’s wishes, any history of abuse or neglect, and the parents’ relationship with each other. The court is free to examine any factor that it deems relevant to the issue of custody.

While there is a presumption that frequent and ongoing contact with both parents is beneficial for a child, the court may order supervised or no visitation if it finds that a parent is a physical or emotional danger to a child.

Consult a Child Custody Lawyer in the Broomfield Area

At Plog & Stein P.C., our Broomfield child custody attorneys understand that the stakes are high whenever the future of your children is being determined. We are committed to making every effort to obtain a parenting plan arrangement for you that will be fair and in the best interest of the children involved. Call us at 303-781-0322 or contact us online for a consultation session with a divorce attorney.

His passion and ferocity kept me going through this long ordeal.When I first came to Plog & Stein it was simply discuss the renegotiation of child support. Little did I know that within 72 hours I would be retaining Steve Plog for a custody battle. His passion and ferocity kept me going through this long ordeal. I have recommended him to my friends and I would recommend him to anyone with who wants honest and effective representation. Carolyn

★★★★★

I recommend Sarah and the attorneys at Plog & Stein to anyone that has these types of family issues and need strong, knowledgeable representation.I am thankful for the job Sarah McCain did for me in my fight with my ex-wife for visitation rights with my daughter. Sarah and the team at Plog & Stein handled my case in an efficient, affordable, and professional manner. Sarah negotiated a new parenting plan as well as acceptable visiting rights and even a favorable modification in my child support. I recommend Sarah and the attorneys at Plog & Stein to anyone that has these types of family issues and need strong, knowledgeable representation. Tom

★★★★★

At the end of the day he was able to produce a settlement that was fair to both parties.I highly recommend Stephen Plog for anyone in need of a top notch domestic relations attorney. After a 27 year marriage, Stephen represented me in a complicated and sometimes bitter divorce with many unique challenges. At the end of the day he was able to produce a settlement that was fair to both parties but limited my alimony payments to only 3 years. He is smart, cuts to the chase, knows the court system in the Denver metropolitan area and can be trusted to get his clients the best possible settlement. Neal

★★★★★

Their service was outstanding, with prompt responses to all of my questions.Sarah McCain and Plog & Stein were wonderful to me during such a difficult time in my life. Their service was outstanding, with prompt responses to all of my questions and creative ideas throughout the proceedings to help things go smoothly. Sarah's compassion, patience, and expertise were especially invaluable to me. I highly recommend them. Sandy

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We serve clients throughout the State of Colorado including, but not limited to, those in the following localities: Denver County including Denver; Arapahoe County including Aurora, Centennial, Greenwood Village, and Littleton; Broomfield County; Douglas County including Highlands Ranch, Parker, Castle Rock, and Franktown; Jefferson County including Lakewood, Arvada, Wheat Ridge, and Golden; Adams County including Brighton, Westminster, Northglenn, and Thornton; Boulder County; Elbert County including Elizabeth and Kiowa; El Paso County; Weld County; Larimer County.